I purchased the Flip UltraHD based on the good reviews found here on Amazon and a recommendation from an outdoors magazine.
First off, it's a cute little camera, and I specifically chose the Ultra over the Minio for it's ability to use regular AA batteries in a pinch.
My trouble started when I first inserted the Flip into the USB port. The software is cleverly included directly on the Flip's flash drive so there is no need to distribute a CD with the product. I opened the drive that appeared on my desktop (Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard on a MacBook) and double clicked the installer. It prompted me for my password to proceed with the install. I entered it and hit ok. The FlipShare splash screen came up but it would never complete the install. I tried rebooting a few times to no avail. I copied the software installer off the Flip to my desktop and ran the installer. The progress bar refused to move, so I just let it sit for 10 minutes. I had to force quit the installer but it appeared to install FlipShare ok.
I had planned to leave the Flip plugged in to charge it but I soon discovered it wouldn't charge. I kept getting an error "Check battery pack - Charging Paused". This happened on the USB port built into the MacBook as well as in my powered Rocketfish USB hub. I googled this error and it seems others have been able to cure it by removing the battery for a day or two, then reinserting the battery and loading the updated version of the Flipshare software.
I was able to successfully install the updated version of FlipShare downloaded from theflip.com with zero issues on my Macbook. Upon putting the battery back in and attempting to load the mew FlipShare firware to the camcorder, I kept getting "Error cannot communicate with the device" whenever the updater would run for the camcorder. However I had no problem pulling videos off the Flip. Weird! and frustating!
I have a Dell laptop for work at home, so I downloaded the updated FlipShare software on the Dell. I installed it without a hitch and plugged in the Flip. Upon detecting the camera Flipshare immediately prompted me to update the camcorder firmware. I hit ok, and after a bit it reported success. Unfortunately, the Flip wouldn't charge at all on the Dell (wouldn't even display an error). I suspect this may be due to the fact that on this older Dell, the USB port is NOT powered.
I moved the Flip back to my Mac. Upon plugging it in, it began to charge (maybe that firmware update really did the trick??). I could see the battery meter slowly rise as it took a charge. After about 30 minutes though, it stopped. It displayed an error that the Flip was too hot and charging had been paused. I put my hand on the unit and it was indeed very warm. I took off the battery cover and pointed a large box fan at it. It seemed to fully charge (although I haven't yet timed a battery discharge on the unit yet).
That is a LOT of work to get something as simple as battery charging done! I should note that it's performance has been flawless on the rechargeable Energizer NiMH batteries I already have that use their own external charger.
I love the device itself now that I have it working and know of it's quirks. The video quality is good, especially when mounted on a small Gorillapod tripod. The included software, while very basic, does a goof job of letting you edit out pieces of video and then export the finish product easily. The picture quality was also much better than I expected.
The device does have a few annoyances though:
1) You cannot turn off the viewing display. I put the device on a tripod and pointed it at what I was recording and hit record. I wish I could just turn off the display to save battery life.
2)There also is no battery remaining indicator. If I knew the battery was down to say 20%, I might want to turn off the device and save the remaining battery power for a key event (say maybe singing happy bday and blowing out candles).
All in all, I'm satisfied with my purchase and would buy it again. The tech support responded to my emails with helpful instructions within 2 hours. The website was easy to use and it was easy to download the updated FlipShare program. I also expect as time goes on that future firmware release will continue to work out the bugs on this new product.
For all the initial hassles though, I can only give it 3 stars.
***Update***
I took this to a concert to record a few songs. The Flip has a lot of trouble recording bass sounds. It comes outs really popping and muddy with static. It drowns out all the other audio. Here are two songs I recorded. Note how the acoustic song is pretty clear while the hard rock song sounds terrible. Both songs sounded crystal clear in the club!
[...]Get more detail about Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black).
0 comments:
Post a Comment